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Post by Crickinneck on Nov 5, 2010 17:56:55 GMT 10
All eyes remain on BP's actions in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of this year's oil disaster. But a new report suggests the oil giant might be contending with another catastrophe soon enough, as its network of Alaska pipelines appears to be on the brink of failure. According to ProPublica's Abrahm Lustgarten, a 4-week-old internal maintenance report obtained by the investigative news service reveals that at least 148 BP pipelines on Alaska's North Slope received an "F" grade on the company's own system of upkeep grading. Pipes receive an F when inspectors determine that at least 80 percent of their walls are corroded and at risk of rupture. These pipelines, in Lustgarten's telling, "carry toxic or flammable substances," and "many of the metal walls of the F-ranked pipes are worn to within a few thousandths of an inch of bursting," increasing the likelihood of future spills and/or explosions. BP inspectors have concluded that "the company's fire and gas-warning systems are unreliable, that the giant turbines that pump oil and gas through the system are aging, and that some oil and waste holding tanks are on the verge of collapse," Lustgarten reports. In 2006, busted BP pipelines in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, spilled more than 267,000 gallons of oil. Federal investigators fined BP $20 million for the incident, citing the company's failure to heed "many red flags and warning signs." … "That equipment was designed to last until 1987," said Marc Kovac, a BP mechanic and welder, "and then it was supposed to be pulled out. ... They're going to run everything to failure, which means that everything here's going to be worn down completely by the time they decide they decide to leave." Kovac said he and many co-workers had repeatedly raised these issues with BP's upper management in London but had received no official response. (He explained that his union shielded him from any potential management retribution for speaking out.) … My God i hope this is not true ....Crick SOURCE: news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101103/bs_yblog_upshot/faulty-bp-pipelines-in-alaska-are-a-risk-for-future-spills-explosions
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2010 18:01:18 GMT 10
Man, this is just like the Qantas story, greed execs putting profits above preventative matinence.
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Post by Crickinneck on Nov 5, 2010 18:09:01 GMT 10
Man, this is just like the Qantas story, greed execs putting profits above preventative matinence. Well..Well..Well... Lost for words Darryl
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Post by brillbilly on Nov 6, 2010 2:29:53 GMT 10
greed execs putting profits above preventative matinence
yep,and its the norm for massive multynational comps
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Post by concrete on Nov 6, 2010 2:42:05 GMT 10
I can't help but think blame is being placed on someone else.
Most maintenence is given to local firms.
Although, hired by BP, and working under BPs umbrella. The failures of maintenance was not BPs. But thier subcontractors. They. Have alot to answer for.
Unless BP directly employs a bunch of guys to drive up and down it's pipelines, then I would have an issue with this story.
But, I'll bet they don't. I'll bet the people inspecting these lines are the same people that think Trigg is cool.
BP is just a hot topic at the moment. Blame is even hotter.
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Post by Crickinneck on Nov 6, 2010 5:07:40 GMT 10
I can't help but think blame is being placed on someone else. Most maintenance is given to local firms. Although, hired by BP, and working under BPs umbrella. The failures of maintenance was not BPs. But their subcontractors. They. Have alot to answer for. Unless BP directly employs a bunch of guys to drive up and down it's pipelines, then I would have an issue with this story. But, I'll bet they don't. I'll bet the people inspecting these lines are the same people that think Trigg is cool. BP is just a hot topic at the moment. Blame is even hotter. [/quote Usually work like Piping is done by a specialist contractor. Who is overseen by a site Health and Safety Officer from that Company who works with the Contractors from day one. And gets updates on site by the way of morning meetings.and all Data is then passed to the Main Head Office. A Repair Plan is put into place.WELL SHOULD BE The Piping is X-Rayed and travels across the Pipe Outside. The other way is they clean the piping if its stable after X-RAY is to drain the system and vent it with high Pressure Air Then send Ball bearings down the pipes with high pressure Air and that knocks the gunk off......Crick
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2010 6:47:20 GMT 10
Yeah but thats just the point Concrete, thats what these companies do, sub-contract thier matinence to a small firm with two blokes and an ATV for $100 a year, then when it all goes pear shaped they can throw thier hand up and say "it was thier fault".
Your pipelines, your oil, your contracts, then its your responsibility.
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